Thanka / Thangka painting process is very difficutlt. To sketch the figures in a Thanka / Thangka, the artist must be an expert in the measurements and proportions of Buddhas, Boddhisattvas and deities, as outlined in Buddhist iconography. There are thousands of different deities in Tibeten Buddhism. The artist will have to rely on a grid of exactly positioned lines to sketch the deities. The basic system of these coordinates is one vertical and two diagonal lines. The intersection of these three lines defines the centre of any Thanka / Thangka. In Thanka / Thangkas having more than one figure, there will be additional circles and connecting lines, to contrast the main icon with the background figure.

The grid system divides the painting into different parts with fixed proportions. If the artist wants to have a Thanka / Thangka twice the original size, he has to double the dimensions or distances between all the lines.

The Steps involved in Thank / Thangka Painting. Generally there are eight physical process of Thanka / Thangka paintings. These are following:

Canvas Preparing
Sketching (skya ris)
Colouring (tson)
Detailing (shib cha)
Outlining (bcad)
Dry shading (skam mdangs)
Gold Burnishing (gzi)
Gold outlining (gser bcad)
Opening the Eyes (spyan byad)

These are the steps provides a guide in achieving hte desired visual effects required for the creation of quality thanka. However, one must remain aware that it is essential to combine these processes with the correct motivation, philosophy and creative ability to obtain a Thanka / Thangka of excellence.